1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for measuring a body fat mass and a lean mass based on the bioelectric impedance method, and in particular, to a display mode for said apparatus.
2. Prior Art
There has been used an arithmetic method for determining whether or not a subject is obese, in which a BMI (Body Mass Index) is calculated to determine a ratio of a body weight of the subject to a reference body weight. The BMI is expressed by the following equation:
BMI=M/L2
where, a body height is L(m) and a body weight is M(kg).
The BMI is an index used to indicate a body build of the subject and therefore useful.
Generally, regardless of the sex and age of the subject, a body type with the BMI within a range of 18.5 to 25 is considered as standard, with a value below said range as skinny, with a value exceeding said range as obese, and with the BMI of 22 as ideal. However, with that index only, it is impossible to see a physical constitution of a body.
Accordingly, a body fat meter for measuring a ratio of body fat occupancy in a body based on the bioelectric impedance method has been commonly used, in which a body fat rate is indicated by a numeric figure or a transition of the body fat rate is represented by a graph.
Among those body fat meters, a body fat meter disclosed in the Japan Patent Application Laid-open No. H-10-192258 has taught that a BMI and a body fat rate are calculated and a relationship between them is indicated in the form of matrix.
By the way, it has been said that consumed energy affects an amount of basal metabolism, and it is an actual fact that the amount of basal metabolism being more or less does critically affect the accumulation of body fat. It has been considered that the energy consumption by fat tissue is extremely low while the energy consumption by muscular tissue is different depending on the tissue mass, wherein a body with more muscular tissues consumes more energy. It has been known that the volume of the lean tissue consisting mostly of the muscular tissue exhibits a proportional relationship with respect to the amount of the basal metabolism. Therefore, such a constitution consisting of more lean tissues should never be considered as being unhealthy but should be favorable for health.
However, with recent boom of encouraging diet, even a person of athlete type having the physical constitution of muscles rather than fat has been obsessed with an idea that he/she must be obese and forced himself/herself to reduce his/her weight.
Those prior-art body fat meters exhibits whether the ratio of body fat occupancy in the constitution of the body is large or not.
In addition, the body fat meter disclosed in the Japan Patent Application Laid-open No. H-10-192258 allows only the relationship between the body build and the body fat to be grasped.
Further, despite of the fact that lean tissue is important for the health from the viewpoint that the basal metabolism and consumed energy can be grasped therefrom, conventionally the body fat mass has been exclusively discussed, while no much attention has been paid on the lean tissue and the lean mass has never been indicated.
The present invention has been made in the light of the above problems, and an object thereof is to calculate and indicate the ratios of the body fat tissue and the lean tissue respectively occupying in a body constitution, and thus to facilitate a comprehensive evaluation of the body to be easily understandable. Another object of the present invention is, based on the above ratios, to facilitate an easier determination of which one of the fat tissue or the lean tissue decreasing by the weight reduction.
According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body type determination apparatus comprising: an input device for entering personal body data; an impedance measuring device for measuring a bioelectric impedance; an arithmetic device for calculating an FMI and a BMI based on said entered body data and measured bioelectric impedance value; and a display device for providing a graphic representation of the calculated FMI and BMI.
Further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body type determination apparatus comprising: an input device for entering personal body data; an impedance measuring device for measuring a bioelectric impedance; an arithmetic device for calculating an LMI and a BMI based on said entered body data and measured bioelectric impedance value; and a display device for providing a graphic representation of the calculated LMI and BMI.
Still further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body type determination apparatus comprising: an input device for entering personal body data; an impedance measuring device for measuring a bioelectric impedance; an arithmetic device for calculating an FMI, an LMI and a BMI based on said entered body data and measured bioelectric impedance value; and a display device for providing a graphic representation of a relationship between the calculated FMI and BMI together with a relationship between the calculated LMI and BMI, all at once.
Yet further, according to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a body type determination apparatus comprising: an input device for entering personal body data; an impedance measuring device for measuring a bioelectric impedance; an arithmetic device for calculating an FMI, an LMI and a BMI based on said entered body data and measured bioelectric impedance value; and a display device for providing a representation of the calculated BMI by using blocks, wherein said representation by blocks is displayed distinctively in different colors based on the calculated FMI and LMI.
Still further, a body type determination apparatus according to the present invention further comprises a body weight measuring device for measuring a body weight, wherein said arithmetic device uses the measured body weight value to calculate the BMI.
Yet further, a body type determination apparatus according to the present invention further comprises a body height measuring device, wherein said arithmetic device uses the measured body height to calculate the FMI and the BMI.
Still further, a body type determination apparatus according to the present invention further comprises a body height measuring device, wherein said arithmetic device uses the measured body height to calculate the LMI and the BMI.